raw milk

i found this interesting article about raw milk... http://harpers.org/archive/2008/04/0081992
and this one: http://www.washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/110_HR_5843.html

roleplaying

when i was a kid in korea, i used to play on the streets with all the other kids in my neighborhood. except i didn't speak very much korean, and they were all mostly poor. we played in an empty lot that collected garbage across the street from my house. there was plenty of broken building materials like glass, bricks, razor wire, and random rubble to play with. One game we all used to love playing was "market". all the kids scavenged around looking for items to sell. the girls and i would gather bricks and leaves and crush the bricks into a fine power, making pretend red pepper flakes, or we would mix it with water and make kochuchang, which is red pepper paste. doing this made me feel good for some reason. like i was being productive, i was offering something other people needed out of nothing, with my own hands. it was a very fulfilling game. we would also play "school" and i was usually the teacher. compared to american children who played in treehouses and playgrounds, this may sound lame - but it was what we had available to us and it was fun. i think it seeded deep inside me a connection to farmsteading. i think i knew on some level, way back then, that doing essentially the same thing would make me happiest. on that note, i foresee myself doing the following on a farmstead:

• raising goats for milk & hair - making fibers for yarn and goats milk soaps
• raising bees for wax & honey
• tending a very diverse vegetable garden
• growing a fruit and nut orchard
• raising chickens for eggs (and possibly meat)
• raising dairy cows for milk, butter, and cheese
• building and tending a large greenhouse full of exotic food plants
• growing soybeans for milk & tofu
• weaving fabrics on a loom & dyeing (batik)
• designing & sewing clothes
• designing random buildings/residences as a side business

all of the above are activites i know i would enjoy and excel at. the bees are a bit scary cause i have only been stung once and i did not like it, but i think i could handle it with proper equipment. mmm...fresh honey - i love chewing on honeycomb, too. What do you see yourself doing?

good lecture

about plants and animals and the ecological cycle... the last half is very informative.. chickens are brought into a cow pasture after the cows have grazed the grass down to nothing and they pick through the manure for grubs - the manure gets spread (and chicken poop, too) and the chickens are fed and in a few weeks the grass blooms again. http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/214

Mother Earth News

I signed up for email newsletters from this magazine, which has been around for a very long time. They had some handy little guides about homesteading, food, energy, etc. I put the link to the magazine on the right in the websites widget and here I will give you the guides I downloaded after I subscribed...not sure if the links will work, if not I can post the actual pdf somewhere...

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/21ch_HOMESTEADING.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/wfc_BESTFOOD.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/lf_CHICKENCOOPS_MEN.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/og_10EASYGARDEN.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/nh_STRESS.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/diy_FASTENERS.pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/ae_HOMEENERGY(3).pdf

http://www.motherearthnews.com/uploadedFiles/Marketing/gb_PAINT.pdf

yep

My friend's bunnies had 4 babies.  

They are very friendly and snuggly and quite possibly the cutest things i've ever seen.  2 brown & 2 white with blue eyes.

We must have some.  2 clutches--1 for papa, 1 for the ladies.

Maximum of 8-10.  

That is all.

Back From the Land

I've been reading the book with the above mentioned title all weekend, and I'm totally absorbed in it. It's basically a book about the back-to-the-land movements back in the 70's and even before then the 30's. There is a very obvious trend. When the economy is rough, when corporatism runs rampant, people turn to a simpler life. It makes perfect sense. I was worried about what would cause our idea to fail - my thoughts were mainly financial issues, then personal disagreements, then possibly just missing the urban life (imagine that!). I got this book to see a firsthand account of people who been there, done that and why they came back. I'm not very far into the book, but so far the impression i get is they came back because they were tired of working so hard and being poor. which also makes perfect sense - i mean, that's how civilization advances, right? necessity is the mother of invention. but somewhere along the way something gets lost...

i was starting to lose a bit of hope. i mean, it's been done before - people just like us quit the ratrace for the same exact reasons, with the same exact hopes and dreams and somewhere along the line they gave up. they came back to civilization and became computer programmers and massage therapists and schoolteachers. But one thing was unanimous about them all: they did not regret living in a commune or farm. they all missed it. they all had very fond memories.

so why? why did they come back?

well, i haven't really gotten that far yet. but from what i've read i have a pretty good idea. one thing that they all remember is the hardship of it all. And i don't mean the run-of-the-mill backbreaking gardening or construction work. They literally went to a patch of wilderness with virtually nothing. they hand-dug their well, and fetched water from it with buckets to wash their clothes, cook and clean with in the middle of winter, with one woodstove and no plumbing. it took hours and hours just to heat water to lukewarm. they had no electricity, no running water, no drainage, no bathroom, no comfort. but they still remember everything with fondness! they had small children through all this and they were happy. I think this bodes well for us. I think we are way more prepared with much more support and know-how. Plus, we have sustainable technology on our side. there's no need to live in darkness without plumbing.

i am the goatmaster

the famous Goats on a roof of Yahk, BC

yes, i got my barnyard in the backyard book from amazon today and read the whole chapter on goats. we should get either the Alpine, the Oberhasli, or the Saanen/Sable goat for milk. I'm thinking 2 does and 1 whether (castrated male). There's always an alpha female the "queen" and they need comrades to be happy. We can use the whether especially for cart-pulling and pack hauling. For fiber we can have either the angora or the cashmere - i'm leaning towards an angora. these goats will do well in cold weather. I know how to feed one, birth one, trim hair & hoof, build house for, and handle a goat now. All i need is hands-on practice and to find a good breeder with some bucks we can have breed with our does. Goats get along with other animals, which is good - they say not to keep chickens with goats cause the chickens will soil the goat's hay. we will also have to train the heck out of the goat and keep it milked. They are friendly enough creatures - kind of like dogs but will get anti-social if you don't handle/train them.

I'm always amazed by how much can be done with a little knowhow and some hard work.

Check out this flickr page, detailing the construction of a small scale hydroelectric generator. It looks like they made all the parts on site. This kind of electrical power generation looks very promising, much less expensive than solar but it needs a year round water source, perhaps augmented with a storage system, and a good amount of height to drop the water to the generator.

Brainstorm

I've been interested in steel freight container architecture for a little over a year now. I have already worked out how I would clad the interior walls, but until tonight I hadn't considered any insulation outside of expanding spray foam. I'm now thinking that the outside should and will be straw bale with a high lime based plaster. The straw needs to breath and since the steel will act as a vapor barrier and will create a fair amount of condensation a steel mesh can be fastened to the outside of the container to keep the voids of the corrugation clear of straw. The container will give a distinct advantage over typical straw bale construction in that the ceiling can be insulated with the bales as well. Some clever bale sewing techniques will have to be employed up there since gravity won't be working to keep the bales tight together. I think I may have something here! I need to work out a square footage price yet, but I'm sure this is one hell of a cheap option. The two main hurdles as far as cost is concerned is shipping and crane/forklift costs. But I've got some ideas there as well.


Something else on my wish list is a passive solar outdoor shower. I'm thinking: Timber structure supporting a cement rain water cistern (painted black) with a screen on top. I would even add a reflective surface to focus more light on the cistern.

Very interesting logistics...

Read this article about guard donkeys!!! hehe

Let's talk about arming ourselves...

So i've been reading survivalblog, and worldchanging.com, and they've brought up some interesting points. One of them being that if/when the shit hits the fan, you're going to have masses of people (read: the unprepared) suddenly finding themselves in an emergency situation where there may be little to no gasoline, food, etc...like people who could see the hurricane out at sea, but chose not to brace themselves for it.

My hope is that WE are not too late in compiling our own stockpile on our own land....

Anyways,
So yes, people are going to start getting desperate, and are going to seek out the sustainable peoples who do have their own crops, stockpiles, livestock to slaughter, fresh water supply, etc. And the red white and blue american in me will not hesitate to shoot a motherfucker if he tries to steal our shit!! (now, if they looked super desperate, and had a small kid or baby or something, I'd help them...but only if they asked first and swore to tell no one else of us assisting them.)
So lets talk about Canada's gun control laws:

To own or buy rifles and shotguns, Canadians are required to take the Canadian Firearms Safety Course. Owning or buying handguns, requires completion of the Canadian Restricted Firearms Safety Course.

Spousal Notification Required
Under the new law, all Canadian citizens applying for a firearms license are required to have their present and past spouse or common-law partner sign the application. Refusal of the spouse, for any reason, to sign the application will trigger further investigation by law enforcement officers.

In addition, the Canadian government has set up a "spousal notification" toll-free information line (1-800-731-4000) through which spouses can report crimes or express concerns about a person's qualifications to posses firearms.<-----this restriction kind of makes me laugh, though I understand it! :)

Handgun Ownership Restricted
Canada, with a population of 31 million, limits possession of handguns to collectors, target shooters and those who can demonstrate a need of guns to protect their lives.

In addition to licensing all gun owners and buyers, the Canadian Firearms Act requires every gun in the Country to have a certificate of registration.

So guns are NOT illegal here, as most Americans might assume, they're just super regulated, and not just anyone can obtain one (legally). There are also only 3 individuals in Canada at this time who have permits to carry firearms on them (or so I read somewhere a few months ago). Being that they're so regulated, you have quite a bit less gun violence up here. Of course there's always going to be a black market, but with an entire population of only 31 million spread out across this big ol' country, there's a lot less crazed gang members going on driveby's in the larger city centers.
Mark and I have gone to the shooting range here in town with a coworker of his, and we shot off his guns under his supervision at the range, it was so much fun, I love shooting guns.

I think it would be appropriate to stockpile one box of ammo every few months after we get The Shire setup, to keep in the communications bunker just in case. If we never use them, so be it. Of course I hope we don't have to! I could only kill a person if they were threatening my friends or family or trying to jack our goods in the event of an emergency. I think a rifle kept loaded in a designated location would be good though, in case of wild game attacking our pets or livestock. I would happily shoot the fuck out of any big cat or bear that was attacking our beloved pets, I know that much!

**what about our own militia in the woods?!?!** lol >:)

i'm so disappointed...

i missed the registration deadline for UGA's organic agriculture certificate program this fall. It was April 1st. dammit. I think the next deadline is September 15 for spring semster. agggghhhh... here's the program I want to enroll in.

all the more reason to do this:

**updated 04/09/08**
in case you haven't heard (which i am sure you have) the price of food staples such as rice, corn and wheat have risen dramatically lately. I've been hearing about it on the news, radio and internet. Well, here's an article that breaks it down pretty well. Why be at the mercy of the markets when you can make your own? Who needs to eat that much damn beef, anyways?? In korea, I got to eat beef maybe two or three times a month. In america I practically ate it everyday - no wonder my body changed so dramatically! Even sadder, we are the last people to complain about food prices - the poor people are the ones really getting screwed here. how are they going to eat? The only solution I see to all this is to grow your own food, period.

and yet another reason to commune - 20 ways the world could end. delightful, eh? even if no bunker in the world could save you from death-gamma-x-rays you'll at least die happier.


from the NY Times - this article - which pretty much seals the deal for me. I'm not even going to wait, i'm going to start collecting my seeds now.


**em, wtf is going on with the logging videos at the bottom? i see a bunch of drunk mexicans....***

The history of the yurt...

I thought this was interesting to know!

I also found an old school list of yurt etiquette, that I think I would still follow:

There are a number of rules which guests should follow...

-When entering the yurt it is considered impolite to step on the threshold or to hold onto the ropes.

-All weapons should be left outside. Do not point your feet at or put rubbish on the fire.

-Do not sit with your back to the altar, whistle, write in red pen, step over older people or point a knife at anyone.

-One should take at least a little of any food or drink offered. When offered arak or vodka flick a small amount to the sky, the wind and the earth before drinking."

Also, mongolian yurt facts...

The entrance of Mongolian Yurt always faces south.

The north is the most auspicious part of the yurt, where the valuables and the shrine are kept.

When mongolian women enter the yurt they head to the Eastern side and men head west.

Whenever moving inside the ger (yurt), one must always move in a sunwise direction. This same movement is also required in shamanic dances, worship, and ritual.

Traditionally, during the building of the Yurt, women are not allowed to touch the center ring (also called the Tono)

(reposted from http://theyurtopia.blogspot.com/)

names

ya know, i've been thinking about names lately - like what to name ourselves, our corporation, land, businesses, etc. i like the word valhalla as a description of our place - i think we could work with that term... and now i think the term "native" is more apropriate than say, "hippies". however, native inherently implies origination, right by birth, indigenous people - which we are not. would it be terribly un-pc to re-define the word native to suit our situation? native also implies wild people - those who live off the land and have limited contact with the outside world... so in the same sense our community is like a village...i'm just rambling here...maybe we can use these root words (or concepts) to come up with ideas to name things - to give them a concrete reality.